Ojamajo Doremi: Purity and Taint
by Kadaj5
Summary: A new plot of Black Queen's has failed and left the timeline altered. Doremi, Aiko, Momoko, Jou-sama, and -surprisingly- Shadow Doremi are the only ones who could possibly set things right. But what is truly happening here? Who is this mysterious young Shadow who appears after waking up? And is everything as it seems? Rated M for uncensored language, blood, and violence.
1. Prologue

**A/N: Well, it's certainly been a while since I uploaded anything. I've had this story idea suck in my head for a long time now and I'm just now getting this part of it out there. This prelude, as well as the next few chapters, has all gone through revisions until they were decently written.**

**For now, I would like for everyone to try and enjoy this story. But this story is rated this way for a reason…**

**All OCs present are either mine or PrettiWitchiMegChanChi's; the latter ones were used with permission.**

* * *

"_What is evil?_"

The question had been asked countless times in the past. It had been answered in most of those occasions, but those answers varied greatly depending on who was asked.

What happens when someone is pure evil? How would they act and behave? The actions of a being that is pure evil cannot be reliably anticipated. Such beings have not been recorded since even the most evil of beings at least has a tiny, if negligible spark, or goodness somewhere within.

It is supposedly possible to make such a being. By transferring a shard of one's evil and nothing more into the very heart of a being before they are born, a being whose heart is pure evil could be created. _Who_ to use is another point entirely.

Would it affect the light in their heart? Probably not; light and darkness are ultimately neutral in nature and it is possible to have a heart of pure darkness that is also pure good and vice versa. Such combinations wouldn't set well with people who are used to hearts of pure light automatically being good and vice versa; such beings of such combos would be at odds with and shunned by supposed "normal" people and their "normal" beliefs.

But has this ever been attempted?

"My sources say 'no'," Black Queen finished, "But records can be easily falsified. Perhaps the past Shadows thought it amusing to hide such truths when they can be _so_ useful to us?" She chuckled in amusement. "My Light Half has meddled in my affairs for far too long! So my new plan will ensure she never did…EVER!"

* * *

Black Queen stood in shock. Her Light Half, the Queen of the Witch World, had used her powerful magic to strike the spell that would complete her plan. The force of the impact had completely destabilized the spell. Both knew that a destabilized spell was unpredictable in every sense of the word…

By her side was Shadow Doremi. Doremi, Momoko, and Aiko were behind the Queen as they had accompanied her to this place. Before any of them could register any shock, horror, surprise, or anything similar, the spell exploded, catching everyone in the blast. The Ojamajos and Shadow Ojamajo were quick enough to erect a defense, but the two rulers weren't so lucky. There was a brilliant flash of light. Then, there was a horribly loud crack.

When the light faded, the Queen could only make out a few forms. The first one was the Witch Queen's Rose, which would –hopefully- hold the unborn Hana and her sister, Yume; it was intact, much to her relief. Doremi, Momoko, Aiko, and Shadow Doremi stood there, having been completely turned to stone by the rampant magic despite their precautions. As Jou-sama looked herself over, she noticed that she too had been affected by the blast. It all made her gasp.

She was dead.

Floating over the ground now, Jou-sama realized she was now a ghost. Her body was nowhere to be found, but her crystal was still present. She called it back to her and immediately attempted to reverse the magic effects.

Her spell could do nothing to restore the girls.

Try as she might, the Queen's magic just wasn't strong enough right now. Several things went through her head as to why; such things included her powers being drained by the blast or by the transition to being a ghost.

Several voices, all of which were approaching, interrupted her train of thought. Thinking quickly, the now-ghostly Queen tried another spell. It worked, and the statues of the girls sunk into the ground and left no evidence of their presence.

_At least they will be hidden,_ the Queen thought. Then, she flew into the ground herself and nestled right next to Doremi's statue. No sooner than she did, the voices had arrived.

The conversation was muffled by the ground above and went on for what seemed to be an eternity. Considerable tension could be felt. There would be, since the Witch Queen's Rose is extraordinarily important.

She was trapped several years before Hana was to be born, and with her were the remains of three of her favored Ojamajos and one of their Shadows. It will remain unknown what Black Queen did and what the aftereffects of her disrupted spell were going to do, but one thing was certain.

The timeline has been altered and there was nothing she could do about it.

"When my powers regenerate," the Queen said, "I will restore you to the way you're supposed to be. But…when?"

With that, the Queen drifted into a long slumber…


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: I updated the prologue with some corrections as recommended one of the reviewers. Hopefully, it won't be as distracting from the plot. However, I will explain things in later chapters so as to avoid infodumping en masse.**

* * *

"_C…C-Can I finally…?_"

The Queen mustered up her strength for the first time in so many years. First, she brought the statues of Doremi, Momoko, and Aiko and to the surface. After making sure their forms weren't damaged, she gathered her magic together.

A ring of powerful magic encircled each of the Ojamajos, causing them to glow. It reached an intense climax before bursting. Jou-sama was driven back as a result, but she quickly recovered.

To her relief, the spell worked. When the light faded, the three Ojamajos were on the ground, unconscious yet restored to flesh and blood. Jou-sama flew up to Doremi.

"Doremi!" the Queen called, her voice a now a noticeable echo, "Wake up! Doremi!"

Slowly, Doremi stirred. "J…Jou-sama…?" she began, groggily. Her eyes shot open when she saw the Queen's ghostly form. "Jou-sama?!"

"We'll get to that later. For now, help me wake the others!"

Doremi nodded and quickly went to work. In only a few short seconds, they were fully awakened. Aiko and Momoko were as shocked as Doremi was to see the Queen as a ghost. It brought back a number of unpleasant memories from when they were ghosts themselves…

"So then…what happened?" Doremi asked.

The Queen closed her now-glowing eyes and proceeded to explain all that she knew. The girls listened intently and were quickly shocked by what Black Queen's mad plan had wrought. Doremi and Aiko felt a few unpleasant memories bubble to the surface from the time they and Hazuki and Onpu were turned to stone by Oyajide. However, Doremi was disappointed by Jou-sama leaving Shadow Doremi trapped as a statue underground and urged her to restore her so as to have her aid. The ghostly Queen reluctantly did so, repeating her spell to restore the pink Shadow.

Shadow Doremi quickly joined the discussion upon recovery, even adding her own snark to the mix. In any case, the Queen explained everything to her as well due to her being out of the loop, with the other Ojamajos more-or-less helping. The pink Shadow explained what she knew as well at the urging of her Light Half; she was more than a little disgruntled about the Queen trying to leave her petrified. It was then that they had learned that Black Queen's plan was to inject a shard of her own evil into Hana long before she was even conceived.

"So that's what happened?" Doremi asked.

"Yes," the Queen replied.

"I don't believe it," Aiko muttered, "That Black Queen would try and do something that horrible to Hana-chan!"

"How could she do something so…insane?" Momoko asked, shocked.

"When you're getting your ass kicked so many times…" Shadow Doremi began, sarcastically, "You really start getting desperate." She sighed and looked at her surroundings. "Anyone think this place looks a little…rotten?"

Aiko and Momoko, as well as Doremi and the Queen, warily took the pink Shadow's suggestion and took in their surroundings. They had splotches of what could only be described as decay. They took note of the lack of any stench, but deemed it irrelevant. Of greater note was the presence of large blue roses. They had all seen these before; the Witch Queen's Rose. A closer inspection revealed that the roses themselves were rotted. They no longer seemed capable of bearing newborn Witches…

"Oh my God…!" Momoko gasped.

"How did we miss this?" Doremi asked, "And how could this have happened in the first place?"

"I think our best chance is to get out of here and find someone who knows what's going on," Shadow Doremi further suggested, "It certainly beats the hell out of staying in this filth!"

"You said Black Queen tried to inject a shard of her evil into Hana-chan with a powerful spell," Aiko began, "Is it possible that when Jou-sama struck it, she accidentally scattered the shard all over the place?"

"I guess…"

Jou-sama took another look at the decay. Disrupted spells are very unpredictable, doing anything from being more powerful than intended to simply being weaker. Other times, such spells did things that were truly outrageous and sometimes even failed to have any effect at all. Aiko's theory has its merit; a shard of Black Queen's evil being scattered across a small area would be well within the possibilities.

"Then this explains why everything here is so wilted," Momoko surmised, "That spell being disrupted could've made it poisonous?"

"That is correct, Momo-chan," the Queen replied, grimly, "Black Queen's evil is very deep. I wouldn't be surprised it could cause this kind of damage." She turned back toward the wilted Rose and scanned it with her magic. "No Witches can be born from this rose ever again; the damage is too great."

"Then why hasn't anything been done about it?" Doremi asked, "Why would anyone just sit here and let this happen?"

"And why aren't we being swarmed by guards yet?" Shadow Doremi deadpanned, "If this place is sooo sacred… Perhaps they gave up on it?"

"Then we need to leave this place," the Queen suggested, "And find some help. Find anyone who knows what's going on."

"Are you implying _you_ haven't kept an eye on things, Light Queen? How long were _we_ stoned? How long have _you_ been _here_!?"

The Queen shook her head. "I…never left this place, so I know only as much as you do right now. But you are right, Shadow Doremi, and I will make no excuses for this."

Momoko stepped forward. "But what if someone found you while you were roaming?" she asked, "Wouldn't that have made things even worse?"

Shadow Doremi bit her lip and decided against answering Momoko's question. The Queen seemed to take the question to heart and chose to contemplate it herself. Doremi and Aiko also chose to take it into consideration, given their present silence.

"Everyone?" Doremi asked. The others turned their attention to the pink Ojamajo. "I can't bear to worry about Hana-chan anymore. I just can't. So the sooner we leave, the sooner we can put those fears to rest."

"Are you saying that there is the chance the Black Queen-sama's spell turned Hana-chan evil anyway?" Aiko asked.

"It was a disrupted spell," the Queen reiterated, "Anything is possible."

"Then…what happens next?" Momoko asked.

"We look for clues," Doremi replied.

"And finally blow this dump?" Shadow Doremi asked, sarcastically.

The group nodded in agreement. With that, they finally left the withered Witch Queen's Rose to try and look around for clues on what was happening. They were certain it would be hard, but not impossible. And waiting for a solution to happen by was not an option; their failure to stop the change led to it happening in a potentially even worse manner, so it was technically their responsibility.

Unbeknownst to them, back at the Rose, a dark shape began forming in its shadow. It was just a darker-than-normal spot, but similar smaller spots began converging on it, coalescing into one form…


	3. Chapter 2

The Witch Queen's Rose was located well within the palace gardens. Doremi –and by extension, Shadow Doremi- and Aiko knew this well, as did the Queen, for the former three had been there when they saw Hana awaken for the first time. Momoko, having been locked out of the loop, had only their words to go by.

With each step, the group got an ever-worsening feeling that the damage wasn't just limited to the Rose. Indeed, decay was splotched in random places, giving the gardens a desolate look. The lack of a stench still disturbed them, as though time itself had frozen ever since Black Queen's attempt.

It wasn't long before they finally exited the gardens and gazed over Majo Kai.

What they saw made them gasp in shock. Decay mixed in with seemingly-normal patches of flowers dotted the landscape as far as the eye could see. Even the visible buildings themselves seemed to be rotting. The only exception seemed to be the nearby Castle of Majo Kai, and even it seemed different.

"Oh my God…!" Momoko gasped.

"This…This is horrible!" Doremi remarked.

Even Shadow Doremi looked down in shock. "This is even worse than the Shadow World…" she mused, biting her lip.

Aiko said nothing. Her pained expression spoke for itself. On the other hand, the Queen found herself being overcome by the monstrous sight and fled through the air. Concerned, the girls took to their brooms and followed. A little ways away, the Queen descended back to the ground and began trying to use her magic to at least heal the blighted land.

"Jou-sama?" Doremi offered.

The Queen didn't answer. Instead, she continued trying to use her magic to heal the land, but the decay resisted even her powerful magic and refused to be healed off. When her failure became imminent, she ceased and collapsed, weeping tears of silvery ectoplasm.

"Jou-sama?" Aiko began.

"It's my fault," the Queen said, sadly, "Black Queen's spell…It still worked somehow. It caused this devastation…"

"Don't blame yourself," Momoko replied, "It would've been worse if you didn't knock her back."

"We're okay thanks to you," Doremi added, "We would still be…uh, what happened to us again?"

"You four were turned to stone by Black Queen's spell," the Queen replied, clarifying the pink Ojamajo's point, "I do not know how long you were like that."

"Then we would still be statues if it weren't for you!"

"We're looking at a rotting wasteland," Shadow Doremi deadpanned, "How is this better?!"

Suddenly, something burst out of a now-obviously fake portion of the ground and lunged at the group. Shadow Doremi reacted quickly and evaded, knocking into Doremi and throwing her to the ground. Aiko and Momoko took several steps away from their assailant while the Queen readied her magic.

The being looked human, but her flesh had become severely decayed. Her cloak was in tatters and her fingers had distended, resembling claws. Her rotted face looked at them through eye sockets devoid of anything except for a pair of glowing sickly-green orbs.

"…_Kiiiillllll…_" she muttered. Her voice was deep and sounded like stone grinding against stone. Another word followed, but it was too badly garbled to make out.

"What is that thing?!" Momoko screeched, terrified.

"I don't know!" Aiko replied.

The two girls retreated quickly from the monster at a breakneck pace. Shadow Doremi wasted no time in drawing her poron and shooting a beam of black and slightly-pink magic at it. The attack landed, but the thing barely even flinched. If anything, it only blew off a part of its tattered robes, revealing more dry and cracked flesh underneath.

Doremi thought quickly and drew her own poron. "Pirika Pirilala Poporina Peperuto!" she chanted, "Blast that thing!" Her spell conjured another beam of magic, this one pink, at the creature. Again, it only seemed to blow off a few pieces of it. "Damn it!"

The undead monstrosity continued to press its assault, striking at anyone within reach. Aiko and Doremi managed to dodge a few blows, but Shadow Doremi wasn't so lucky and suffered a large gash across her back. Momoko nearly suffered the same fate had it not been for the Queen forcing her out of its path. Doing that only led to her getting hit instead…and the gash appeared on even her ghostly form, even causing her to feel weakness.

"Jou-sama!" Doremi cried out.

"I'm fine!" Jou-sama called back, despite her wound dripping ectoplasm.

The undead mouthed something that none of the girls were able to interpret and reached out its claw. Suddenly, a burst of shadowy-blue magic impacted it from behind, drawing its attention. The source of the attack rushed in closer, revealing itself in the process.

"Shadow Ai-chan?!" Shadow Doremi gasped.

The being was definitely an adult, but it was very much recognizable as Shadow Aiko. Her lack of a shadow confirmed it, though something seemed a little off. One thing that gave that away was the psychotic grin seemingly welded to her face…

Regardless, the blue Shadow summoned what seemed to be a more advanced poron with a diamond-shaped Shadow crystal inside; it quickly turned into her signature weapon: A giant hammer.

"How about this, ya dead bitch?!" Shadow Aiko shouted, maniacally. She swung with tremendous force, knocking the undead to the ground. It tried getting up, but the blue Shadow neither gave nor took any quarter with her assault, violently pounded it into the ground. "Had enough yet?!"

The group could only watch in shock and surprise. A Shadow had just come in and saved them in a way that a Shadow would normally do things. Shadow Doremi herself gulped in apprehension, much to everyone's surprise. Her body language told them all they needed to know, prompting them not to ask but to worry for this Shadow's sanity.

By the time they returned their attention to the so-called "fight", Shadow Aiko had bashed and battered the undead thing into the ground. It could barely move now, but the blue Shadow didn't seem the least bit interested in showing mercy. With one final psychotic smirk, she slammed her mallet down, Shadowy blue magic blazing, right into the undead's remains. It could never hope to take the blast in its condition and was forevermore laid to rest.

No sooner than she finished off the undead, Shadow Aiko turned to the group. "Which of you is next?" she asked, her voice taking a far more faux-pleasant tone, "I'm waiting! And I REALLY DON'T ENJOY THIS FUCKING WAITING!"

She even didn't bother waiting for a reply, opting instead to rush in for a kill like the maniac she clearly was. The girls barely had time to dodge before she was on top of them. Despite their best efforts, the insane Shadow still managed to get a solid blow off on Momoko, knocking her senseless. Giggling madly, she refocused her efforts on a new target.

"Momo-chan!" Aiko cried out, rushing over to the yellow Ojamajos's unconscious form.

Shadow Aiko took the opportunity to make an attack, but Shadow Doremi had already morphed her poron into her own signature weapon -a bastard sword- and intercepted, causing both of their weapons to impact one another. The adult blue Shadow decided to change her target to the pink Shadow. She was certain it was going to be easy, given she was already crushing the young Shadow Ojamajo via sheer pressure alone.

Doremi got a cheap shot off, relieving enough of the pressure for Shadow Doremi to escape. She did so, and quickly swung at the now-distracted blue Shadow, slicing her mallet-holding arm off. To everyone's surprise, she still stood, grinning maniacally despite the blood spurting from the stump.

It didn't take long for the adult blue Shadow to rush the terrified Doremi with her remaining arm. She was without magic, but that no longer seemed to be much of an issue for Shadow Aiko. A spell from the Queen knocked her off balance just enough for the pink Ojamajo to dive out of the way. She was just in time, for if she hadn't, she would likely have been killed, given the deep indent on the rotted ground.

Shadow Aiko got back up, despite most of her blood now scattered about the immediate area. Momoko was just now waking back up –much to Aiko's relief- and was shocked to see the adult blue Shadow continuing despite the severe blood loss. Doremi, Shadow Doremi, Aiko, Momoko, and the Queen huddled together, fearing the worst.

Shadow Aiko loomed over them, still grinning maniacally. "You should consider yourselves lucky…" she muttered, chuckling, "But let me tell you something: Some things aren't what they appear to be in this world. _Especially_ that…that…"

Shadow Aiko didn't get a chance to finish, her last words dying in her throat as she finally collapsed from blood loss. Moments later, she dissolved into nothingness, as all Shadows do when they die. The group took a while to recover from the shock and still feared it to be a conjured illusion. When nothing happened, Doremi warily got up and retrieved Shadow Aiko's poron, which had reverted to normal.

Shadow Doremi looked apprehensively at her Light half from the short distance. She knew that she and her friends only used their porons' weapon forms when they were dead serious.

"We just barely survived that one…" the Queen muttered, "If…if she had lived just a little bit longer, then we…we…!"

"We know, Jou-sama," Momoko replied, trying to comfort the ghostly Queen, "Which is why we should count our blessings."

"But," Aiko began, "What did Shadow Aiko mean? Her last words…what was she referring to?"

"I couldn't possibly know," the Queen replied.

Doremi walked back to the group. "Even though she is our enemy and tried to kill us like a psychopath," she began, "I think Shadow Aiko at least deserves a proper burial."

"Are you sure we can even pull that off?!" Shadow Doremi asked back, "What if there are more homicidal crazies out there?! The longer we stand here, the bigger our chances of getting gruesomely murdered!"

"And Jou-sama is still hurt from the zombie," Momoko added, pointing out the gashes still on the Queen, "What's gonna happen?"

The Queen felt around her form at the injuries. "It feels so…cold," she explained, "It feels like…evil. Pure evil."

None of the girls knew what to make of it. Even the Queen could barely understand what she had just described. In their present state, it was clear they would never truly understand what it means without help.

"Let's get out of here," Shadow Doremi suggested, "Before something else-!" Several forms the Ojamajos spotted appearing over the horizon prompted them to interrupt the pink Shadow. "I told you more of them would show up!"

"Then let's get-!" Momoko called out, only to be cut off by a beam of magic.

It was as Shadow Doremi had feared: There were many other Witches and even a number of Wizards among them. All had similar psychotic grins as Shadow Aiko and were clearly intent on killing them all for pure pleasure. The group braced themselves for a quick death…

…and then a bright light appeared overhead, causing the psychopaths to cower and keep their distance. Then, a new form made its presence known. It descended and quickly and effortlessly blew back the vast majority of the insane Witches and Wizards. Those that remained dared not attack.

The bright light subsided, and the group was able to get a better look at their savior.

She was a young woman who appeared to be either in her late teens or early twenties who wore a long flowing white dress and had very long, blonde hair styled in twin tails. Her seemingly delicate features belied a powerful white-colored magic that struck everyone as familiar.

"You encroach upon my realm again?" she began, tranquil anger evident in her tone, "None of you are allowed here. Now begone, or face my wrath…again!"

The insane Witches and Wizards, grinning with neither glee nor malice but with fear, hastily retreated. Once they had fled, the woman turned, revealing her amber-colored eyes. Her features were strikingly familiar…too strikingly familiar to be a coincidence.

"H-Hana-chan?!" Doremi called out.

The woman smiled sweetly. "Yes, Mama," she replied.

The group could hardly believe their ears. This woman was claiming to be Hana, and yet she was clearly an adult. The Queen even used her magic to discern any spells this woman may have cast. None were detected, confirming her to be at her biological age.

"It's…it's really you?" Aiko asked.

"Of course it is," Hana replied, kneeling down. She then gave a hug to Doremi. "I…I missed you sooo much! Mama!"

Shadow Doremi looked over the horizon. "Um, guys? Light Hana?" she began, "Aren't you-?"

"Oh!" Hana replied, releasing Doremi, "Let's continue this at the Castle, okay?"

The group nodded, having been rather-bluntly told that the outside was extremely dangerous. Hana snapped her fingers at that. Her spell, which the Queen mentally noted to be surprisingly powerful, teleported everyone present right to the Castle as promised.

Hidden nearby, another being could be discerned. Though she was hooded, several of her features were quite clear. She wore a visor over her eyes and her dark-colored clothing made hiding amid the rotting wastes simple. She clenched her teeth.

"Damn it!" she muttered, "Damn it all!"


	4. Chapter 3

It was all so surprising. Hana had just saved the group from being killed by a veritable army of murderous psychopaths by simply giving a warning and a display of power. Her still being the same person they knew and loved gave a huge sigh of relief, for it was proof that Black Queen's true goal had failed.

By now, she was leading the group over to the Witch World Castle. It wasn't taking long since they were flying on brooms. The Queen herself was simply flying thanks to her being a ghost. When they arrived, they noted how part of it seemed to have grown a few splotches of decayed vegetation.

"You'll have to forgive the look," Hana explained, sullenly, "It's tiring, trying to keep all of that stuff off of the Castle."

The group entered the Castle.

"I don't blame ya," Aiko replied, "The Witch World is huge, and that rot just keeps going for miles on end!"

"What happened here?" Doremi asked.

"Don't we already know that?" Shadow Doremi retorted.

"I don't think so," Momoko replied, "We've already found out a number of things after piecing together what we could see."

"I'll tell you soon," Hana replied, "But, I want everyone to be in a comfortable place first."

The group agreed to hold their questions until Hana said otherwise. She did so when they reached the throne room. It was deserted aside from only a few Witches. Hana took her place on the throne.

"Wait!" Doremi half-shouted, "You're the Queen of the Witch World now?" Hana smiled and nodded. "Wow!"

"I didn't live to see the day," the Queen remarked, "But I am glad I did see it, through and through!"

Aiko and Momoko could only stare in awe, and they silently compared themselves to their friend.

"I guess that's good," Shadow Doremi mused, "And I guess haters are gonna hate."

"But, what happened here?" Doremi asked, again, "And how long has it been going on?"

Hana closed her eyes. "About fifty years ago, twenty-four years before I was born, there was an unexplained explosion," she explained, "Little was found, so no one thought much about it."

"Wait a minute!" Momoko called, "If my math is right, then you're…twenty-_six_ years old?!" Hana smiled and nodded. "You look so young! And pretty!"

"Since when is twenty-six an old age for Witches?" Shadow Doremi quipped, "Besides, you know people who are that young and still look pretty."

"It's true, I don't look twenty-six," Hana replied, sighing softly, "But…that's beside the point. About a decade or two ago, or somewhere in between, that was when the corruption started."

"The corruption?" the Queen inquired.

Hana nodded. "The corruption…no one knows where it came from. All we know is that it hurts everything it touches. It's pure evil, and it spreads like a virus. Those who die from it rise as undead. Those whose minds are warped by it become those loonies who're rampaging all over Majo Kai."

"That explains a lot," Aiko surmised, "But…what's happened to the other worlds? The Human World? The Wizard World?"

"The Shadow World?!" Shadow Doremi added, impatiently.

"The Human World is mostly unaffected," Hana continued, "But the Wizard and Shadow Worlds are all but trashed. Even the Witch World is about to fall, and I can't stop it, even with everyone helping!"

The information hit like a ton of bricks. There had never been a crisis of this magnitude. Even Majo Isabelle's attempt to dominate all worlds using an army of machines wasn't this great. Neither was the Shadows' attempt to tear the Witch World apart using a different, more monstrous and tortured kind of Witch. As far as the Ojamajos could tell, this world is a tortured one, and its suffering lacked a foreseeable end.

It may as well be synonymous with Hell.

"It couldn't be that bad, right?" Momoko mused, anxiously, "I mean, things can get better, right?"

"Everyone, wait!" the Queen called. She quickly began looking around the throne room. "I feel something happening. It's close by, and I want to know what it is!"

The group quickly started out the room, but Doremi turned back. "Aren't you coming, Hana-sama?" Doremi asked, "We can use the help if we run into anything."

Hana made a move to go with them only to hesitate. A tired look can be discerned in her eye. "I'm sorry, …but I can't. That display of power took a lot more out of me than I thought," she explained, "Believe me, I would love to help you out, but I can't!"

Doremi shook her head. "I won't force you," she replied, and she left to catch up with the others.

* * *

Doremi didn't take her time with leaving the Castle. Aiko, Momoko, Shadow Doremi, and the Queen were waiting for outside the gate, and they were primarily shrugging their shoulders. In Shadow Doremi's case, she was giving a deadpan sigh.

"Sorry I took so long," Doremi said, smiling sheepishly.

"Better late than never," the Queen replied, "I don't know what is there, but it's coming from the Witch Queen's Rose. We must hurry!"

With that, the group decided against further conversation and headed back to where they started. It was a breakneck pace, and they were there before they knew it. The scene transpiring before them was one that would make most parents shudder.

Backed into a corner was a dark-haired girl of about twelve. Surrounding her was a veritable coven of three Witches. All of the latter bore psychotic smirks reminiscent of the one sported by Shadow Aiko.

Rather than waste time with questions, Doremi quickly dove into the fray. Aiko, Momoko, and Shadow Doremi quickly followed suit. The Queen tried, but her earlier injury began acting up, and she found herself unable to do anything, let alone cast any magic.

"Pirika Pirilala Poporina Peperuto!" Doremi chanted, "Punish these psychopaths!"

Doremi's spell took the form of a beam and impacted against one of the Witches from behind. The other two quickly became aware of the company.

"More for the taking?!" one of them shouted, "This…is SO PERFECT!"

"Pameruku Lalaku Laliloli Poppun!" Aiko chanted, "Stop those psychopaths!"

Aiko's spell took the form of a snare that quickly wrapped around the legs of another one of the Witches. She tripped over herself in surprise and fell face-first into the dead grass.

"Peruton Petton Palalila Pon!" Momoko chanted, "Get those psychopaths!"

Momoko's spell quickly took effect and literally pushed the third Witch to the ground. The dark-haired girl took advantage of the distraction and quickly hid behind a wilting bush.

"That got'em!" Aiko commented.

"Big mistake, you little brat!" the first Witch seethed. In moments, she had snapped her fingers for a spell of her own. Instantly, the snare holding her fellow vanished in a cloud of purple smoke. "You're all just a bunch of naïve kids!"

"Oh yeah?" Shadow Doremi challenged. She emerged from the third Witch's shadow and delivered a stab right through the Witch's head via her bastard sword. She quickly withdrew her blade and backpedaled away before the other two cold react. "One down, two to- WHAT?!"

To everyone's shock and horror, the third Witch did not die from the head injury. In fact, she seemed more annoyed than injured. She turned around and glared at Shadow Doremi.

"It'll take much more than that to kill me!" the third Witch shouted, infuriated.

The Queen, at this time, finally managed to break through the hold her injury held over her. She snapped her fingers and quickly blew all three psychotic Witches to the ground, stunning them.

"Hurry!" the Queen called, "I don't know when this wound will act up again!"

Doremi turned to Aiko and Momoko and then to Shadow Doremi. "Think it's worth a shot?"

"It's our best spell, Doremi," Aiko replied.

"Yeah!" Momoko agreed.

"I can't join," Shadow Doremi replied, "Shadow magic and all. Unless we want to risk _that-_"

"Keep them pinned down, Shadow Doremi," Doremi said, "That's all I'm asking! Just don't kill them!"

Shadow Doremi gave an annoyed sigh and a nod. She did not waste any time and began using the blunt end of her sword to stun the insane witches. While she was striking vigorously at them, Doremi, Aiko, and Momoko gathered into a circle.

"Pirika Pirilala Nobiyakani!" Doremi chanted.

"Pameruku Laluku Takarakani!" Aiko chanted.

"Peruton Petton Sawayakani!" Momoko chanted.

"Magical Stage!" All three shouted, "Send these three away!"

A brilliant light filled and quickly lit up the area, forcing Shadow Doremi to withdraw from her assault. The light enveloped the three witches, and all of the young girls watched as the three Witches vanished into the spell's power one by one. Then, as quickly as it appeared, it faded, and there was no longer any sign of the Witches who were attacking them.

Doremi looked around toward the wilted bush. "It's okay! They're gone now!" she called out, "You can come out now!"

"We won't hurt you!" Momoko shouted, "We're still sane! I swear!"

"That's reeeeally helping her…" Shadow Doremi mumbled, sarcastically.

There was a sound coming from the wilted bush. It sounded like a mixture of crying and panicked breathing. Doremi went in closer to try and get a better look.

The girl did indeed look roughly twelve years old. Her hair was long but as black as a void. She wore what looked like an apprentice's uniform, albeit one none of the Ojamajos had been seen before. Her eyes were shut in abject terror.

"Please," Doremi ushered, softly, "No one's going to hurt you."

The girl seemed to calm down slightly. "Are…A-are you s-s-sure?" she asked, shakily, "You-you're not… o-one of them?"

"Positive."

Slowly and reluctantly, she emerged from the bush and into Doremi's presence. Her eyes were still shut, but not as tightly as before. It was then that Doremi managed to get a better look at her. Her uniform was ripped along the left side and part of her skirt was torn and detached. Her skin was scratched and bruised where it was exposed; Doremi assumed it was from the Witches who were attacking her since the bushes lacked thorns.

"It's okay," Doremi said, reassuringly.

Slowly, the girl opened her eyes. Though they were filled with fear and had a glint of hope, there was something familiar about them. _Very_ familiar, and disturbing.

They were a piercing red, and there was a seeming, faint glow to them.


	5. Chapter 4

Apprehensively, Doremi took a step back. These slightly-glowing red eyes seemed all too familiar to her despite the fear and growing hope they showed. However, the pink Ojamajo's action seemed to cause some of that hope to drop away, and she returned to being fearful.

In truth, Doremi didn't know what to do. She had this feeling that she knew her, yet she hand not seen any girl like this before in her life. A part of her wanted to reach out and dispel any fears she had, but another seemed to be telling her that she would regret it. Even the girl shrinking away didn't seem to be enough to overcome that latter part.

"I promise you," Doremi began, trying to sound reassuring, "We're not here to harm you!"

Shadow Doremi approached. "Let me try," she said. Doremi moved out of the way to allow her Shadow to try, though the former had her doubts considering the latter's rudeness and aggression. The mysterious young girl gulped, fearing the worst. "The Light Being is right: We're not here to hurt you."

It was then when Shadow Doremi started getting a good look at her. The young girl noticed this and shrunk away to avoid it, prompting the pink Shadow to break off her study. She offered her hand to the girl.

"We don't know when those Witches'll come back," Shadow Doremi continued, "If we don't leave now, we can get attacked, and we might not get off so easy again."

The girl seemed to contemplate this for a while, and the Pink Shadow grew increasingly nervous. Aiko and Momoko looked over their shoulders every now and then thanks to Shadow Doremi's words and they had every reason to fear what might happen. Finally, the girl took Shadow Doremi's hand, albeit reluctantly.

"O-ok," she said, her voice a slight tremble.

The others approached the twosome. They noticed that the young girl didn't have a shadow, and quickly identified her as being a Shadow Witch. Why she seemed so familiar was beyond them. Why she took toward Shadow Doremi's idea of compassion wasn't; Shadows had differing ideas of certain emotions, after all.

"Let's get out of here," Aiko suggested. Everyone agreed.

* * *

"Hana-chan!" Doremi called as the group entered the throne room, "We're back! And we found someone!"

Hana rose from her throne as Doremi, Aiko, and Momoko bowed respectfully. Of course, Doremi only called Hana "Hana-chan" out of habit; it would take a while to grow out it even though she didn't seem to mind. In any case, the Queen eyed the young Shadow girl carefully, making her nervous and hug close to Shadow Doremi.

"It's alright," Shadow Doremi said, assuringly, "She's not gonna hurt us."

"I-if you s-say so," the young Shadow girl replied, still nervous.

"You poor thing," Hana said, sympathetically. She lowered herself to the young Shadow girl's eye level. "These girls saved you. They will take very good care of you. I promise." The new queen turned to the others. "But I digress. Majo Kai isn't safe for any of you. You must leave for the Human World. Please!"

"But, Hana-chan-!" Doremi began.

"NO! If anything happens to any of you, I'll never forgive myself!" Hana gave a sigh and calmed down. "Things have changed for me since the corruption happened. I just want you all safe." She turned to the ghostly Queen. "You're already hurt, and there's nothing I can do about it."

Indeed, the ghostly Queen's form still had the claw gashes. They glowed with a fell radiance, and they seemed to have expanded slightly. It didn't seem like they would ever heal on their own any time soon. The ghostly Queen clenched her hand around the wounds.

"We will leave for the Human World," the ghostly Queen replied, "I will do what I can, but I will have to stay hidden. Humans are not accustomed to seeing ghosts floating around."

"We'll keep in touch. Good luck."

On those words, the group gave another polite bow and leave.

* * *

The group took off from the throne room on their brooms. The young Shadow girl didn't quite seem aware of her magic yet, and she is unable to call one of her own. This prompted Shadow Doremi to share hers, and the two rode it together.

"I…I never thanked you for saving my life," the young Shadow girl said, "I'm sorry, and thank you."

"It's okay!" replied Doremi, "You were being attacked, and we can't forgive anyone who would attack a defenseless person!"

"I think we should introduce ourselves!" Momoko chimed in, "I'm Momoko! But you can call me 'Momo' for short!"

"I'm Aiko," Aiko added, "But you can call me 'Ai'!"

"I'm Doremi!" Doremi further added, "I'm the unluckiest pretty girl in the whole world! But I also have the best friends in the world, too!"

"You can call me Shadow Doremi," Shadow Doremi said, "I'm a Shadow. A disjoined one, but a Shadow, nonetheless."

"Since Hana-chan has assumed the throne," the ghostly Queen chimed in, "I can relinquish my old title. From now on, please call me Yuki."

The young Shadow girl gave a smile. These people who risked their lives for her seemed very nice, even though she had a greater understanding for the Shadow she was riding with. She didn't feel unnerved, and she wondered why.

The group arrived at the door to the human world. It was all too familiar, especially since it was the same door that was connected to the Maho-Dou over in Misora. The Ojamajos and two Shadows got off their brooms and took note of the door. There are many such doors all over the Witch World that connected to Maho-Dous all over the Human World, and it was surprising how the insane Witches and Wizards hadn't bothered to leave through these passages.

"Um, my name is…" the young Shadow girl began, "My name is…? Ergh…" She begins to stammer. "I…I don't know what my name is!"

That snapped the other girls out of their stupor.

"EH?!" Doremi, Aiko, and Momoko half-shouted, surprised. Shadow Doremi didn't jump. Rather, she gestured to Yuki to follow her. Both quickly moved out of earshot and began conversing. Privately.

"What do you mean, 'you don't know'?" Momoko half-screeched, "No one is never given a name! How can someone not give you a name?!"

"I-I-I don't know!" the Shadow girl replied, stammering, "I just don't remember! Please don't hurt me!"

"I'm sorry!" Momoko quickly lowered her head.

"If ya don't know yer name," Aiko continued, "Then we'll just have to give ya a nickname until we find out yer real name? How 'bout it?"

"That sounds nice," the Shadow girl said, a small smile gracing her lips.

"What about…" Doremi began, going first. She again took note of the girl's piercing red eyes. "How about 'Akane'?"

The girl seemed to think on it, but her lips curled into a frown. "It sounds good, but it just doesn't feel right. I don't know why, though."

"What about…" Aiko continued. She took note of her long, dark hair. "What about 'Nocturne'?"

The girl shook her head and gave a depressed frown. She didn't like rejecting their offers, but none of them felt right.

"What about…" Momoko added. She took note of where she was attacked by the crazed Witches. "How about 'Hana'?"

"Isn't that what the current Queen is called?" the Shadow girl asked, "I don't want to share the name of someone you know. It'll surely cause confusion!" She then notices the shadows under the Ojamajos and the lack of one under her. "Why do you have shadows? Where's mine?"

"You don't cast a Shadow because you are one," Shadow Doremi stated, returning with Yuki, "I'm a Shadow, too, y'know?"

"Then who's casting me? And who's casting you?"

"You both are disjoined," Yuki explained, "Therefore, you are both individuals."

"I…I guess that explains why I'm more comfortable in your presence, Shadow Doremi-chan."

"Anyway," Shadow Doremi continued, "I overheard the names you guys were giving to her on my way back. I think I got one: Shadow Yuki?"

The Ojamajos waited. If she really does take to the pink Shadow more readily, then she was going to be their best bet to getting her a name. As for the girl, she seemed to think about it a lot. And a lot. And a lot. And a lot. Finally, she replied.

"It…it fits! I don't know why, but it just clicks!" the girl, now taking the name Shadow Yuki, chortled, "Thank you so much! But…" She turned to the Ojamajos. "I'm sorry about the others. I really wanted to go with them, I really did, but something just felt…off when I considered it. I felt so uncomfortable."

"It's okay," Doremi reassured, "We're not the best name givers."

This earned an amused chuckle from Aiko. She remembered when Hana was found in the Witch Queen's Rose and how Doremi named her accordingly. Shadow Doremi just gave a deadpan sigh while Momoko wished she could have witnessed it. On the other hand, Yuki looked more than a little worried.

On that note, the group headed through the door to the Human World. What they would find when they get there was up to the imagination, but it would be a changed world removed from their reality. Hana had it was mostly unaffected by the corruption, which made them worry about how much _was_ affected.

All of this was waiting to be uncovered as Doremi, Aiko, Momoko, Shadow Doremi, Yuki's ghost, and now Shadow Yuki left the Witch World and entered the Human World…

* * *

Unbeknownst to them, the cloaked being with a visor was trailing them. She had mostly stayed far away and higher up than them, and when that wasn't sufficient, she used magic to assist in keeping herself concealed. Now she was before the door to the Human World. She clenched her teeth.

"They must stop this," she said, under her breath. With that, she entered the Human World…


	6. Chapter 5

The Maho-Dou was largely the same as when Doremi first saw it just prior to becoming an apprentice. The door led to the patio in the back since the moon wasn't smiling, the place was dark, and light filtered down from windows placed along the roof. It was a trip down memory lane for Doremi, Shadow Doremi, and Aiko. Yuki was familiar with it since she had helped alter it twice, and Momoko had only ever seen it this way right before she and her friends graduated and temporarily went their separate ways.

Other than what they remembered, the shop was deserted. The ground-floor windows were boarded over, the furniture had sheets draped over them, and the various supplies were stored in crates that had long since been stacked up. It was just like when Doremi locked herself in it when she didn't want everyone to leave her behind…

Only Shadow Yuki was out of the loop, and for good reason, too. However, she didn't seem all too disturbed; in fact, it looked like she felt right at home. The group could feel it, and they didn't hold anything against her.

"Déjà vu," Doremi remarked. Shadow Doremi only tilted her head in confusion since she was only brought back sometime after the graduation. "This is as good a spot as any, everyone. Go back to our normal clothes?"

"Yea," Aiko said, agreeing. Momoko nodded, too, and all three returned to their civilian clothes.

Shadow Doremi didn't seem amused while Shadow Yuki gave a worried look. "In case, you haven't noticed, neither of _us_ have any normal clothes!" the former griped.

"And ya can't conjure any yourselves, 'cause?" Aiko asked, deadpan. Doremi and Momoko gave disapproving frowns, and shot them toward Shadow Doremi. "Y'all got magic, too, so why not?"

Shadow Doremi frowned and her face went red with embarrassment. "Ok." She channeled her shadowy magic and enveloped both herself and Shadow Yuki with the intention of fixing the issues she pointed out. When it faded, the pink Shadow was wearing a darker version of Doremi's normal outfit, which earned a few deadpan stares from the three Light Ojamajos. Shadow Yuki's outfit wasn't changed at all; instead, it had been fixed since the tatters and rips were gone.

"Shadow Doremi!" Doremi called out.

"I didn't know what to give her! So I fixed her uniform!"

"Break it up, both of y'all!" Aiko half-shouted, stepping in, "Look at what yer doin'!" She pointed to the now-shrinking away Shadow Yuki, making both Doremis stutter. "Yuki-sensei? Can ya help?"

Yuki turned toward the blue Ojamajo after having apparently been in deep thought. "I can," she replied. She snapped her fingers and, in a puff of smoke, a set of clothes appeared before Shadow Yuki. They were relatively plain in appearance, being a shortcut blouse, a medium-length skirt, stockings, a set of scrunchies, and a pair of shoes. "You didn't need to try and put the clothes on her directly, Shadow Doremi. What I've conjured now is a stop gap measure until we find her something she likes."

Shadow Yuki nodded and went into the back room to change into the outfit. A few minutes later, she came out dressed in the new clothes. Her long, darker-than-black hair was tied tightly and awkwardly by the scrunchies and held to just past her neckline in the back; the longer strands were worn as pigtails. Her uniform was draped over her shoulder. "I…I didn't know where to put it," she said, hesitantly.

Shadow Doremi was trying to stifle a chortle at her awkward hair. This made Momoko bite her lip. "Um, can I help you? With your hair?" Shadow Yuki nodded and the two went back into the back room. Both came out after a minute and the Shadow's hair now looked even; the pigtails remained, however. "How is it?"

Shadow Yuki smiled. "It's great. Thank you!" She quickly hung her head. "But I still don't know what to do with this…" She held up her uniform.

"Uh, leave it here?" Shadow Doremi suggested, "We can use this place as a home until we find somewhere to crash." Shadow Yuki smiled and nodded. "It's settled then!"

"Hey guys! Look at this!" Momoko called, staring out the window. The group quickly rushed forward and peaked through spaces in the boarding.

The streets weren't packed, but there they were: People walking normally. What caught everyone's eye was the presence of Witches, Wizards, and even Shadows among them. What also caught everyone's eye was how the humans were nonchalant about the magical beings walking amongst them. Some were even talking peacefully to one another.

"Incredible!" Doremi remarked, in awe.

"Damn," Shadow Doremi said, mouth agape.

Aiko and Momoko simply exchanged smiles.

As for Yuki, it was like a dream come true. She had always wished to restore contact between the Human and Witch Worlds, but she knew it wouldn't be possible in her reign. Especially after she chipped her crystal to restore Hana's pendent. Seeing everything like this at this point in time brought a single ectoplasmic tear to her.

Of course, the only one who didn't understand was Shadow Yuki. Not that she could really help it.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Doremi asked, "Let's go!"

"I don't think that's such a good idea, Doremi," Aiko warned.

"Eh?"

"This place has obviously been abandoned for some time," Yuki explained, "If we come bursting out, then we'll make a scene and draw unnecessary attention. I will take care of this." She snapped her fingers, and time froze. "I will still need to stay out of sight."

"But, why?" Momoko asked.

"I'm still a ghost. And I don't think people are used to seeing ghosts." The former Queen gave a solemn smile. "I will stay here for now. Someone has to watch over the door to the Witch World and make sure none of the undead or insane comes here."

With that, the girls reluctantly exited the old shop and found an out-of-sight spot they could emerge from. Time began flowing again as they hid, and they wasted no time in leaving the area.

The town up ahead definitely seemed different from what they remembered, but it wasn't what they expected.


End file.
